Typical service visit??

[4x4man]

So we've been having problems with our fridge only cooling to 50 degrees after running for two days on gas. Unit is level at the storage facility. When we get to the campground after a couple of days we can get to the mid 40's and that is with the temp slider thingy all the way to the top. Waited a month and a half for a service appt and then, after two weeks they call me to tell me they were able to get the fridge to 40 degrees in the service bay and there was no problem. So, being as that we don't camp in buildings what can I do to make the fridge work correctly? We lost a lot of food while in South Dakota in June that I am not fond of repeating. We do have the e-Bay fridge fan installed on the fins on the inside.

Have some questions for anyone to answer.

1. I was charged $63 for the dealer to tell me they couldn't recreate the problem. Is this normal? They checked on it once a day for 3 days and ran no tests. When I take a car in for warranty work they do not charge me if they cannot recreate a problem....WTF???

2. Service manager told me that when the rig is in storage all closed up that the fridge will not cool and that I have to fire up the A/C. Never once have I had to do this with the other two rigs we have had. I told him he was FOS but he was insistant.

3. Service manager told me to take the temp sensor thingy off the cooling fins and let it hang as it is detecting the cold from the metal fins causing the fridge not to cool. Seriously...this is what he said.

4. Service manager stated I could add more fans to create more airflow behind the fridge to evacuate the hot air. Because these fridges don't work well when it is hot outside and these fridges are made cheaply. Our fridge is in a slide.

5. Service manager told me I should fire up the fridge 3 days before we are going to leave... Our other rigs needed less than 24 hours to cool down...

I have one month of warranty left and a fridge that won't cool when it is hot outside. Apparently I am supposed to use a cooler in the summer months and then in the spring and fall I can use the fridge. I did some reading about how to test the thermistor so I plan on doing that this weekend. Besides my above questions is there anything else you can suggest for things I can try? At least they didn't keep my rig for 3 months this time....

Bob

[youroo]

Get your (Money) back. Find a New dealer. Call F/R. Youroo!!

[4x4man]

Spoke with Rod this morning to get the scoop. He stated it is not uncommon for dealers to charge for their time trying to diagnose something they cannot reproduce as they cannot submit that for reimbursement. It would've been nice if the dealer would have told me that up front that if they couldn't duplicate the problem that I would be charged tech time.

Rod also suggested I contact Dometic directly as they would be a good source of info to bounce ideas off of.

Bob

[wfmdfm]

Seems to me that the Service guy should have call Demetic for some advice. I would think they would talk somewhat the same language. Un aceptable in my opinion.
Wally

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by wfmdfm

Seems to me that the Service guy should have call Demetic for some advice. I would think they would talk somewhat the same language. Un aceptable in my opinion.
Wally

Times two. Sounds like you found MY old (now VERY EX) dealer.

[4x4man]

We have had nothing but problems with this dealer. The sales experience was great, service has left a LOT to be desired. All the talk about buying locally so you get better treatment, better appt times, and a better service experience does not seem to apply with my dealer...

Rod did say I could take it elsewhere to have it fixed and FR would pay for it. I'm gonna test the thermistor and also add some more fans to the back of the fridge first and see where that gets me. We are planning on going camping next weekend so we'll see if I can get to the point of coolish beers or not...

[Len & Cheri]

I can understand a charge since the tech. is taking time from earning money elsewere to troubleshoot your fridge, but I think the dealer should be eating some of that cost.

[4x4man]

I would be fine paying for actual troubleshooting/diagnostic if it were done. No tests were run and no troubleshooting noted. I paid $63 for a tech to come into the rig, check the temp and go back about his way for the day and repeat for the next two days. The thing I couldn't figure out is the $5 shop supplies charge... Maybe that was the charge for their electricity one of those days? LOL!

[4x4man]

Just an update. The thermistor tested good. I noticed that the baffel that was installed from the factory was just some leftover piece of wood they had laying around. Not only was it not wide enough (3" gap on either side), they attached it at the upper corner of the slide with the other end sitting on the fridge. I am guessing that a lot of heat was building up above my fridge and affecting performance. That cavity above the fridge was about 22.5"x25.5"x10". I had some left over R30 insulation that fit the cavity perfectly and then I built a new baffel that attached to the upper opening with the other end on the fridge. Now when heat hits the baffel it will go out the opening instead of building up above the opening. I also installed 4 120mm fans that put out 50cfm each. Two behind the fridge in the stock location and two just under the cooiling fins directed out at the opening in the cover.

Will see what happens this weekend.
Bob

[4x4man]

Final update. Pulled the rig out of storage on Friday and the fridge was at 37.6 degrees after 24hrs!! While camping this weekend the fridge hovered between 35 and 36 degrees and Sunday morning it briefly hit 33.2 degrees! I wish I would've thought of doing this sooner so we wouldn't have missed out on camping waiting on our service visit...
Hope everyone had a good weekend!!
Bob